This is the Ol’ Sports Talker saying that January has flown by. Now more than ever we needs sports!
With so many people unemployed, (the Ol’ Sports Talker included) have seen their hours cut back, now more than ever we need sports! During World War II, the baseball commissioner went to President Roosevelt and asked him if Major League Baseball should suspend playing. President Roosevelt responded that more than ever, the nation needed sports. (Side note: The Indianapolis 500 did shut down for the war years.)
From high school sports to the big leagues we need them more now than ever. No matter how bad you have it right now, just think of the Chicago Cubs and you will feel better! Year after year after year the golden ring is right there for the Cubbies, only to see it just inches from their grasp or to get it, then drop it. Or think about the Tampa Bay Rays. Since they came into the league they were cellar dwellers. They dropped the “devil” from their name and went to the World Series.
Now we have the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. They flirted with good teams while back in St. Louis,...
This is the Ol’ Sport Talk wishing everyone a belated Happy New Year!
I'm over the shock of my Indianapolis COLTS going 1 and done! Four out of the eight years they have done that! Arghh! Tony Dungy has stepped down as Head Coach to answer a higher calling. Good luck Tony! Critics say that Tony should have done more with the talent he had. Who knows? I'm happy that the COLTS were perennial winners from a team that always had high hopes at the beginning of the season only to be let down by 1/2 way through.
The Baltimore Ravens are in the hunt for another Super Bowl. Will the City of Baltimore EVER get over the Colts leaving? They have to be the bitterest fans I have ever seen. You don't hear Boston or Milwaukee complain about the Braves in MLB. Even as bad as the Timber wolves are in the NBA, you don't hear fans complain about the LA Lakers. Or even Philadelphia or Kansas City complain about the A's! I have known COLTS fans who go to a game in Baltimore to see the COLTS-Ravens play, get harassed by the fans. Let it go already!
This is the Ol’ Sport Talker and I had a very interesting conversation on Christmas.
The topic was: How to fix Notre Dame Football.
Join a conference. Why you ask? Recognition. High school recruits coming in for a look-see would see Conference Championship banners provided ND would win one. In the world of Youtube clips and sound bites, recruits want to know, (As Janet Jackson sang,) “what have you done for me lately!”
Lets compare Notre Dame to a few universities around the area. First the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Notre Dame’s last title came in 1993. While UC has never won a National Title, they just won the Big East title. Not only will UC have a banner at their stadium, but the players will get a Big East Championship ring!
Now you bring in High School recruits and they meet with current players and see “bling” in the form of a ring. They see a trophy in the case, which is more impressive? Something from 15 years ago, not to mention 3+ coaches ago, or something recent?
Bragging rights: Tom O’Brien after his NC State Wolfpack beat the UNC Tarheels in football, Immediately announced, “We are the best...
The Brett Favre saga that is. For weeks now He said he was coming, then he wanted to be traded. The Packers Powers said no, then yes, then we will offer you money. In the end, the Commissioner’s office said to settle this thing!
Now Brett Favre is a JETS! Hopefully when we look back onto this season in February, Brett will be singing, It’s not easy being Green! Written by Joe Raposo.
It's not that easy being green; Having to spend each day the color of the leaves. When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold... or something much more colorful like that.
It's not easy being green. It seems you blend in with so many other ord'nary things. And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water or stars in the sky.
But green's the color of Spring. And green can be cool and friendly-like. And green can be big like an ocean, or important like a mountain, or tall like a tree.
When green is all there is to be It could make you...
The Ol’ Sports Talker is feeling nostalgic this week.
I have a lot of great sports memories from my life. The AFCCG a couple of years ago when the Indianapolis Colts beat the hated New England Patriots. I cried like a bride on her wedding day. (Okay, maybe a groom. I don’t have a lot of experience in that field.) I’m not ashamed to admit that I sobbed when the COLTS won and went on to win the Super Bowl over Da Bears.
Or how my Dad and I would go out and clean the garage while we listened to the Indianapolis 500 back in the 60’s. (ABC would tape delay it and show it later that night.) On Monday we would always have a huge picnic with family and friends. My Dad would play the part of Grill Master and my Mom always made the best potato salad.
But my best sports memory was getting off of school when I was in Junior High School. My Grandmother lived about 4 blocks away from the Junior High School. So instead of taking the bus home, I would walk to her house and wait for my Dad to pick me up....
And now another episode of “As the Favre Turns” The Ol’ Sports Talker on the edge of his seat.
The scene opens and we hear Brett Favre say. (Sung by Engelbert Humperdinck) “Please release me, let me go.”
The Packers Management replies. (Sung by En Vogue ) “No, you're never gonna get it, never ever gonna get it. No, no, no no, you're never gonna get it, never ever gonna get it!”
Brett replies. (Sung by the Beatles) “I’m a real no where man, living in a no where land.”
Look over there! It’s the Minnesota Viking and Chicago Bears! (Sung by the Beatles) “Baby you can drive our car, Yes you’re gonna be a star, Baby you can drive our car And baby we love you!”
The Packers Management again. (Sung by the Beatles.) “Get back, get back! Get back to where you once belonged. Get back, get back! Get back to where you once belonged.”
Bret Favre to the Packers Management. (Sung by the Beatles) “I don't like you. But I love you. See that I'm always thinking of you. Oh, oh, oh! You treat me badly, I love you madly. You've really got a hold on me....
NASCAR silly season keeps getting earlier. The Ol’ Sports Talker is having a good Summer!
Now that Tony Stewart has left Joe Gibbs Racing, Speculation is that Ryan Newman will join Stewart in Stewart-Hass Racing in 2009. Don Miller (Penske’s #2 guy) crafted Ryan Newman in the image of Mark Donohue. Pretty soon drivers will be jumping teams week to week, if this trend continues.
Billy Packer is leaving CBS sports after calling his Final Four this past March. 34 straight Final Fours. What a record. I still remember back in 1979 he said that Indiana State had no right being #1 in the country in basketball. This made me mad and gave me a grudge that I still harbor to this day. I was at Indiana State at the time with Larry Bird. His son, Mark Packer, has the drive-time slot here in Charlotte on sports talk radio, WFNZ. I imagine that Billy will still do ACC games with Ray-com Sports.
David Stein of Sporting News Radio made me think back to my youth. He brought up that the annual MLB All-Star game was a special “snack time”. Growing up with a middle class family, it was true in...
Here it is the middle of July and it’s hard to believe we are almost ½ way through Summer. The Ol’ Sports Talker is having a good Summer!
Nightly local news. I almost hardly watch it for sports. This about it. They have maybe 3 minutes to do their sports. By the time they hit a top story and run down the scores, TV sports is over. Even ESPN Sports center will only have maybe 30 seconds worth of video of you favorite team.
Then there’s the local newspaper. 8 pages of sports with 4 of them advertisements. 1 page of scores and stats and that leaves 3 pages for real sports. They MIGHT have 1 beat writer followed by wire sports stories. Rarely do I EVER incorporate anything from the paper into my blog, or shows. (The vice-versa has happened though.) papers will pick up on Sports Talk Radio for their stories.
The whole point of this was that I actually read something in the paper that got me thinking. Brandon and Kareem Rush of the Indiana Pacers! They are brothers. I had to think when the last set of brothers played for the same NBA team. Sure...
Spring is trying to gain a foothold here in the south. Now the Ol' Sports Talker‘s hay fever is kicking in.
Can you believe the Final Four? I seriously thought that the North Carolina Tar Heels would take it all. Then they met Kansas. Good thing I don’t gamble. How Kansas beat the Tar Heels, will be argued over the airwaves for months. The Tar Heels got slaughtered by the Jayhawks. Davidson Wildcats gave them a better game. Then in the Finals, Kansas and Memphis met in an overtime game for the century! Just goes to show you. Players can shoot 3 pointers, but sometimes it comes down to the free throw.
Memphis-Kansas game reminded me of another NCAA Final game in 1987. Syracuse vs. Indiana. On paper, Syracuse was the better team, but they had one flaw. Poor free throw shooting. The game was close throughout, but in the last 5 minutes, Bobby Knight, the Indiana coach, knew what he had to do to win. Make Syracuse shoot free throws! His players started fouling the Syracuse players. Syracuse was making one point from free throws, while Indiana was making 2 points at their end of the court. While no...
Spring cleaning is in full swing this week. The Ol' Sports Talker‘s is busy with throwing away stuff that has been cluttering his apartment.
The PGA is heading to Charlotte in a few weeks with no Tiger. Tiger had knee surgery after the Masters so he would be ready for the US Open. I imagine the powers to be at Quail Hollow Country Club hearts went into full arrest. Tiger wanted to be ready in time for the US Open, I imagine.
The BCS and the Federal Government. What’s wrong with this statement. The College Football BCS isn’t perfect, we know that. But until the powers to be come up with a playoff system, it’s the only game in town. Now the Federal Government wants to look into it. The Feds are good at 3 things. Spending our money, wasting time and spending more of our money. Hmmmm, I wonder which category this falls into?
Baseball is under way. For the money, the best bet, is Triple A and below. Indianapolis and Charlotte are both blessed to have decent AAA teams. Charlotte is trying to bring back baseball to Downtown. There is one guy, Jerry Reese who seems committed not...
It's been a very busy week for the Ol' Sports. Talker
Monday, I was overjoyed, (And you ought to see Joy!). Let's say I was happy to see Davidson College make it to the Sweet 16! My love for Davidson goes back to when I first moved to Charlotte in 1985. My high school, Connersville High School, had won the Indiana State title back in 1983. CHS was led by a pair of brothers, the Hineman boys. (Their mother was my gym teacher back in grade school.) Okay, Connersville is bigger than Milan (IE: the mythical town of Hickory in the movie HOOSIERS.) But's it not huge by any means either. I move to Charlotte and what do I find out? The Hineman boys are playing for little Davidson College in Davidson, NC.
Davidson, North Carolina is a nice college town. Kind of like Oxford, OH is to Miami University. Since 1985 I have followed Davidson on and off through the years. I didn't pick them to beat Georgetown, but no one is happier than i was that they did. Okay, MAYBE Dell Curry and his wife. 23 years later enter Stephen Curry. His Dad, Dell played for the then,...
